Grimm (musical)
| Musical dates | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Grim! - The really true story of Little Red Riding Hood and her wolf |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Thomas Zaufke |
| Lyrics: | Peter Lund |
| Premiere: | December 7, 2014 |
| Place of premiere: | Children and youth theater Next Liberty , Graz |
| Place and time of the action: | in the fairy tale world, not so long ago |
Grim! is a musical by Peter Lund (text) and Thomas Zaufke (music) and is subtitled The Really True Story of Little Red Riding Hood and her wolf . The play was premiered on December 7th, 2014 at the Children and Youth Theater Next Liberty in Graz, on whose behalf Peter Lund wrote it. The German premiere took place on March 19, 2015 as a co-production with the third year of the musical / show course at the Berlin University of the Arts at the Neukölln Opera in Berlin.
content
Little Red Riding Hood, a 14-year-old girl who is fed up with her nickname and would rather be called Dorothea, lives in a village community made up of various fairy tale characters. However, one thing unites the villagers: The fear of the forest and the wolf that lives in it . In addition to Little Red Riding Hood , Mother Geiss also live here with her children , the three little pigs and the old farm dog Sultan with his son Rex. Each of them has had bad experiences with the wolf - or at least pretends to be. The wolf lives in the forest, and that's where Little Red Riding Hood is magically drawn, despite or perhaps because of all these horror tales. The day comes when curiosity prevails, and the young girl, against all warnings, sets out into the forest and meets Grimm, the wolf. However, this does not seem as angry to her as all the villagers have described him.
Grimm is a dropout , and Little Red Riding Hood is fascinated by his freedom-loving manner and feels drawn to him - which is mutual. So far, the wolf has only had contact with Piglet Wild, a wild boar , and Grandma Owl. Piggy Wild is initially not at all convinced of the idea that wolf and human can have a friendship or even relationship. However, she herself has an unnatural soft spot for the pig, Dick, who lives in the village and who is also a pig. Only Grandma Owl is equally open to forest and villagers because she got to know life here and there. Grandma Owl has maternal feelings for Little Red Riding Hood, and under her influence the girl decides to take Grimm to the village to put an end to all rumors. However, she has no idea what it is causing, because the village turns out to be a scheming bunch.
Goats, pigs, dogs and Little Red Riding Hood actually live according to the rules of animalism and in democratic structures , but when they see their bourgeois village idyll threatened by a wolf in their community, they take up a defensive position. The old court dog Sultan, the mayor of the village, wants to keep some dark secrets and dirty stories at all costs. Schweinchen Schlau would also like to be mayor, and when he realizes that little by little all the villagers are beginning to give up their prejudices against Grimm and that Ms. Geiss then also makes the wolf to babysit her children and even seduces Grimm, he tries to do that through an intrigue To raise fellowship against the wolf; he would like to kill him. False accusations by Piggy Smart almost lead to a scandal.
reception
In Grimm is a reinterpretation of various fairy tales, in particular, the materials of the Grimm universe is turned upside down. Already in the subtitle (The Really True Story of Little Red Riding Hood and Her Wolf) it becomes clear that Grimm scrutinizes ancient traditions for their truthfulness - and even more so for their topicality. The eternal story of good and bad, and especially that of Little Red Riding Hood and the big bad wolf, is retold and its wickedness is called into question. Did a wolf really blow over the house of the three pigs, or were they just too stupid to build a stable house? Peter Lund shows “that fairy tales and adaptations are not just for children” and thus creates “a completely new story” which - “even if the familiar fairy tale facade is permeated with sexuality down to the last fiber” - is nevertheless suitable for children: “ It is true that you only understand all the allusions as an adult, but children also have fun ”. At the beginning, Little Red Riding Hood and, ultimately, Piggy Doof feel attracted to Grimm, Frau Geiß even seduces him, and Wildsau and Dorfsau also find each other.
Despite all these rather untypical elements of a fairy tale , Grimm also uses the traditional ideas of a fairy tale: the forest and the village, dark and light, bad and good, strange and familiar ; All of these extremes are juxtaposed in the piece - even if it gradually becomes apparent that it is not so easy to distinguish apparent opposites. On the one hand there is Grimm , the eponymous character of the piece. Grimm is “a really cool guy”, “a gentle hippie with long hair and a fur vest on a bare upper body”, who is not dangerous for the village community because he wants to eat them, but because he is so independent and free lives. His motto in life is: “Be a wolf, always be yourself. Being a wolf means: only do what you want, yes, as a wolf, you are dangerous, but only when you feel hungry. ”Grimm believes that“ he is the noblest sex in the world ”.
On the other hand, the village is a society that seeks out its own enemy images , and Piggy Smart in particular is anything but harmless when he tries to sort the world out. The intrigue through which he wants to turn the village community against the wolf makes Piggy Clever appear as if he had sprung from the animal farm , and he moves out of the role of victim ascribed to him and into the role of perpetrator.
One character in the play who knows both sides is Grandma Owl. It brings all sorts of dark secrets to light, but prevents worse. The fact that both sides somehow come together is not because they get to know each other better, but rather they get a mirror from Grandma Owl, become aware of their own mistakes and thereby find a little back to themselves. The self-dissolution of the village community also has something purifying about it . The hyperactive, increasingly personality- split stupid pig, who at first would so much like to be a rooster, ultimately hears his very personal ping and falls in love with the wolf, which makes all his dark thoughts seem blown away. Piglet Dicklinde doesn't feel that fat anymore and moves to Piggy Wild in the forest, who no longer feels like a lonely, ugly warthog . Single mother Geiß, who seems a little overwhelmed by this, has already met her sexual needs before. And Rex, who was previously only used as a babysitter, begins a new life after he has licked blood for the first time . Rex learns what freedom feels like and what it means to be a dog through a rabbit hunt with Grimm. Little Red Riding Hood recognizes that it is not the turning to one's own shadow , but rather common interests that establish friendships.
The author created a character study that shows that dogs can be cowardly and lazy, pigs filthy pigs and a wolf lonely - but not necessarily: "Because there is no black and white painting , there is no kitschy musical happy- End. But a rapprochement and a relativization of good and bad . ”Even if Lund wants to draw“ a great love story, a friendship that shouldn't be ”, Little Red Riding Hood and Grimm shouldn't really find each other, and whether the relationship experiment between a wild boar and a domestic pig will work can is also uncertain. Rather, the viewer is asked at the end to imagine his own end. Grimm is not a romantic comedy, but neither is it a relationship drama and precisely because of this "an exciting story about truth and lies, prejudices and a great friendship that one has definitely not seen before".
All kinds of musical influences can be seen in the score, which creates “a brisk mix of different styles”. The music is based on the one hand on Disney film music, but is faster and therefore post-modern, on the other hand there are also casual catchy tunes and retro duets in the foxtrot and Charleston rhythm, which look like an “homage to the great musical classics of the 30s and 40s " Act.
The fairytale sounds are underlined by a resumption of the theme in the dialogues and in the song. So Grimm howls during his speech, the pigs squeak again and again, and Mother Geiss is always moaning, in Swabian. The animal characters are also consistently implemented in the choreography. The “minimalist stage design” leaves the actors plenty of space for movement and for fulfilling their roles.
World premiere and German premiere
Grim! was premiered on December 7, 2014 at the Children's and Youth Theater of the Graz Opera (Next Liberty) in an interpretation that is suitable for children from 6 years of age. The German premiere took place on March 19, 2015 at the Neuköllner Oper in Berlin.
Further performances
From February 9, 2017, Grimm was performed in a production by Werner Sobotka at the Theater der Jugend in Vienna . From September 30th 2017 the musical was presented at the Uckermärkische Bühnen Schwedt under the direction of Neva Howard . At the Theater Erfurt had Grimm! Premiere on February 1, 2018 (production: Stephan Beer). From March 29, 2019, Grimm was performed by Stage Focus in Oberhausen. On February 10, 2019, Grimm! Premiere at the Annaberg-Buchholz Theater (production: Tamara Korber).
Ensemble of the first season (Graz-Cast)
December 7, 2014 to April 27, 2015
occupation
- Director: Helge Stradner
- Musical director: Maurizio Nobili
- Coach: Saša Mutic
- Stage design: Marlies Pfeifer
- Costumes: Isabel Toccafondi
- Choreography: Benjamin Louis Rufin
- Image & Video: Bernd Ertl
actor
- Sigrid Spörk ( Little Red Riding Hood )
- Christof Messner (Grimm, the young wolf)
- Franz Gollner (Sultan, the old farm dog)
- Florian Stanek (Rex, his son)
- János Mischuretz ( Smart Pig)
- Eleftherios-Vinzenz Chladt (Piggy Doof / Piggy Wild)
- Alisca Baumann (Dicklinde, Piggy Dick)
- Jutta Panzenböck (Gisela Geiß / Grandmother Eule)
orchestra
- Philipp Pluhar (drums / percussion)
- Maurizio Nobili (keyboard, percussion, conductor)
- Saša Mutic (piano, keyboard)
- Karl Rossmann (trumpet, flugelhorn, electric guitar)
- Gernot Strebl (saxophone, flute, clarinet)
- Reinhard Ziegerhofer (double bass, electric bass)
Ensemble of the second season (Berlin-Cast)
March 19 to April 14, 2015 with the 3rd year of the musical / show course at the Berlin University of the Arts
occupation
- Director: Peter Lund
- Musical direction: Hans-Peter Kirchberg / Tobias Bartholmeß
- Choreography: Neva Howard
- Stage design and costumes: Ulrike Reinhard
actor
(in alphabetic order)
- Kiara Brunken (Wild Pig)
- Devi-Ananda Dahm (Dorothea, Little Red Riding Hood)
- Sophia Euskirchen (Grandma Owl)
- Fabian-Joubert Gallmeister (Piggy Smart )
- Anthony Curtis Kirby (Rex)
- Dennis Hupka (Didi, (pig) stupid)
- Katharina Beatrice Hierl (Gisela Geiß)
- Jan-Philipp Rekeszus (Grimm)
- Dennis Weißert (Sultan, the old farm dog)
- Feline Zimmermann (Dicklinde, (Piggy) Dick)
orchestra
- Piano: Hans-Peter Kirchberg / Tobias Bartholmeß
- Guitar: Jo Gehlmann / Hossein Yacery Manesh
- Trumpet, piccolo trumpet: Rainer Brennecke
- Reeds: Sidney Pfnür / Karola Elßner
- Synthesizer: Markus Mittermeyer / Tobias Bartholmeß
- Drums: Stephan Genze
- Double bass: Max Nauta
With the same actors, the piece was revived at the Neukölln Opera in November 2015 .
List of songs
- prolog
- Never go into the forest
- So many ways
- Be a wolf
- The story of the old wolf
- The one in the village
- You are not alone in the world
- How a fairy tale is made
- Final 1
- Entr'acte
- The really true story of the old wolf
- Life with wolf
- The old story
- The wolf has to go
- Grim
- You are my best friend
- The Had a Pig Waltz
- Didi's crisis
- Licked blood
- A better fairy tale
- And if they are not dead
Press reviews
“Grimm! is one of the currently most important theater productions - regardless of whether it is a theater or music theater - that can be seen in Berlin. The musical is topical, social, political, evil, clear, rousing, entertaining and instructive. "
"[...] so smart and contagious [...] never to be missed! Not even if it takes place among pigs. "
"In terms of singing, dancing and acting, Grimm manages to walk the tightrope between casual popcorn entertainment and depth with critical nuances."
"This Grimm 'musical is an asset to the Berlin musical scene."
"Grimm can inspire [...] musically and theatrically."
“Lund and Zaufke have created an interesting new family musical which, despite some difficulties, works quite well. The score is wonderful, packed with some great moments, with all sorts of musical influences. "
“Simply really good. [...] Because there is no black and white painting , there is also no kitschy musical happy ending. But a rapprochement and a relativization of good and bad . Much deserved applause at the premiere. "
"A lively, entertaining piece that has a lot to tell both young and old visitors."
Awards
The Graz performance of Grimm! was nominated in August 2015 by the German Musical Academy in four categories for the German Musical Theater Prize . On October 26, 2015, Peter Lund was honored in the Best Book category at the award ceremony , and Christof Messner was honored as Best Actor .
See also
Web links
- BZ Berlin and Youtube , interview with the actors during rehearsals. A film by Jan Lindenau and Mareike Kürschner.
- GRIMM !: Premiere at the Graz Opera, film by Kathi Almer. Kleine Zeitung, December 6, 2014.
- Grimm - The musical at the Neukölln Opera. Interview with Peter Lund, RBB Kulturradio, March 18, 2015
Individual evidence
- ↑ Homepage Peter Lund. accessed on March 19, 2015
- ↑ a b c d e f Grimm in the Neukölln Opera. ( Memento of April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) inforadio, March 20, 2015; accessed on March 20, 2015
- ↑ The fairytale boom reaches the theater . Berliner Morgenpost, February 18, 2015; Peter Lund in conversation with Ulrike Borowczyk; accessed on March 19, 2015. “We have united all of the Grimm fairy tales in which the wolf appears. The result is a village in which characters from the three little pigs to Mother Goat and Little Red Riding Hood to the old farm dog Sultan live. "
- ↑ S. Gerdesmeier: Grimm: Students show German premiere. musical1.de, February 23, 2015; accessed on March 19, 2015.
- ↑ Peter Lund: Fairytale boom reaches the theater . Berliner Morgenpost, February 18, 2015; accessed on March 19, 2015
- ↑ Six new productions in Next Liberty. Kleine Zeitung, June 2, 2014
- ↑ Felix Bloch Erben, March 17, 2015.
- ↑ The fairytale boom reaches the theater: Ulrike Borowczyk, Berliner Morgenpost February 18, 2015
- ↑ a b Kevin Clarke: The wolf with the washboard stomach . Klassik.com, March 20, 2015
- ↑ Peter Lund in Berliner Morgenpost February 18, 2015
- ↑ The fairytale boom reaches the theater: Ulrike Borowczyk, Berliner Morgenpost February 18, 2015
- ↑ The fairytale boom reaches the theater: Ulrike Borowczyk, Berliner Morgenpost February 18, 2015
- ↑ a b Grimm - The Musical at the Neukölln Opera. Interview with Peter Lund, RBB Kulturradio, March 18, 2015
- ↑ The fairytale boom reaches the theater: Ulrike Borowczyk, Berliner Morgenpost February 18, 2015
- ↑ Once upon a time. . . everything very different . Kleine Zeitung, December 9, 2014
- ↑ a b Lupi Spuma ( Memento from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Graz Opera; accessed on December 27, 2014
- ^ Ludovico Lucchesi Palli: Grimm! - Graz Opera. musicaltheatrereview.com, February 2, 2015
- ↑ Little Red Riding Hood falls in love with the wolf: Lively children's musical in Graz . Tiroler Zeitung, December 8, 2014
- ↑ Grimm - The Musical at the Neuköllner Oper, Peter Lund in an interview. RBB Kulturradio, March 18, 2015. Lund himself speaks of “Disney on drugs”.
- ↑ The fairytale boom reaches the theater . Berliner Morgenpost, February 18, 2015; Peter Lund in conversation with Ulrike Borowczyk
- ↑ Franziska Knupper: In Berlin, the wolf howls . In: Berliner Zeitung , March 26, 2015
- ↑ Musical "Grimm!" In the Theater der Jugend . In: orf.at, February 15, 2017.
- ↑ Eva-Martina Weyer: The one howls with the wolf . In: Märkische Oderzeitung, October 2, 2017.
- ↑ Grimm! on the website of the Theater Erfurt . accessed on June 7, 2018.
- ↑ Dominik Lapp: Review of the performance in Oberhausen 2019 on kulturfeder.de, March 30, 2019, accessed on June 3, 2019.
- ↑ Grimm! in the repertoire of the Erzgebirgische Theater + Orchester-Gesellschaft , accessed on June 3, 2019.
- ↑ Pieces: Grimm. Neukölln Opera, March 2015; accessed on March 12, 2015
- ↑ Grimm - The really true story of Little Red Riding Hood and her wolf . In: neukoellneroper.de. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ↑ Frank Wesner: Big and great: Grimm! In: allesintheater.com ,. March 29, 2015, accessed January 4, 2015 .
- ^ Kai Luehrs-Kaiser: Grimm in the Neukölln Opera. In: tip Online. March 24, 2015, accessed March 28, 2015 .
- ↑ boro: In Wolf's territory. In: Berliner Morgenpost. March 24, 2015, accessed March 27, 2015 .
- ↑ Kevin Clarke: The Wolf with the Washboard Abs. In: Klassik.com. March 20, 2015, accessed March 25, 2015 .
- ↑ Grimm! - Graz Opera, Ludovico Lucchesi Palli. In: Musical Theater Review website. February 2, 2015, accessed March 26, 2015 .
- ↑ Once upon a time ... everything was very different. In: Small newspaper . December 9, 2014, accessed March 26, 2015 .
- ↑ These are the nominees for the German Musical Theater Prize 2015 ( Memento from September 24, 2015 in the web archive archive.today ) In: musicalradio.de, August 20, 2015.
- ^ The German Musical Theater Prize 2015: The Great Ceremony . In: musical1.de, October 27, 2015.